Jeune Street

Egyptian Baha'is at the Courthouse

Some good news for the Baha’is in Egypt:

A court in Egypt today removed any grounds for preventing Baha’is from receiving proper official identity documents, clearing the way for an end to years of deprivation for Egyptian Baha’is – and opening the door to a new level of respect for religious privacy in Egypt.

The Supreme Administrative Court dismissed an appeal by two Muslim lawyers that sought to prevent implementation of a lower court ruling last year that said Baha’is can leave blank the religious classification field on official documents, including all-important identity cards and birth certificates.[...]

For nearly five years, since the government began introducing a computerized identity card system that locked out all religious classifications except Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, Baha’is have been unable to get documents essential to day-to-day life. Among other things, they have been blocked from obtaining education, financial services, and even health care in government hospitals.

In April 2006, a lower administrative court upheld the right of Baha’is to be explicitly identified on official documents. But in December that year, the Supreme Administrative Court reversed that decision.
In a compromise, Baha’is proposed using a dash or the word “other” on documents, instead of being forced to list themselves as Muslim, Christian, or Jewish.

The implications of the ruling are summed up by Hossam Baghat, director of the heroic Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights:

The significance of today’s decision goes far beyond the direct remedy it provides for hundreds of Baha’i Egyptians who have been the immediate victims of this arbitrary and discriminatory government policy…This final ruling is a major victory for all Egyptians fighting for a state where all citizens must enjoy equal rights regardless of their religion or belief.

The thing about human rights is that when one group wins them, everyone benefits. While the Baha’is are undoubtedly celebrating in Egypt (and around the world), it’s a victory for the whole country.

* Photo Credit: Bilo